Tail clamp



May 3l, 1938. F. R. HIGLEY TA1L cLAMP Filed Feb. 9, 1935 INVENTOR FRANK R. HIGLEY Patented May i UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE 2,119,275 TAIL CLAMP Application February 9, 1935, serial No. 5,716

9 Claims.

This invention relates to means for securing an article to be ironed, upon its pressing member, during the ironing operation. An example familiar to the art, is the clamp employed to secure the tail parts of shirts during their ironing.

Thel ironing is accomplished in a press having a cooperative pair of pressing members upon A one of' which, the buck, the shirt is smoothly disposed before pressing engagement between the pressing members. The buck is usually padded and yieldable, and this invention is particularly adapted to a buck which may have substantial expansion during operation of the press, as exemplied in Patent 1,888,163, November 15, 1932 to Forse.

The objects of the invention are to provide a clamp for the described purpose, which is simple and certain in operation, inexpensive to produce, adapted for hand or power actuation and is adapted for employment with an expansible buck.

Theexact nature of this invention together with further objects and advantages thereof will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,"

in which Figs. 1 and'2 are views in elevation as from the end at the right hand of the operator, of an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 showing the clamping parts in open position as at B and in broken lines in stand-by position as at C, and Fig. 2 showing the parts in closed position as at A; and Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the same parts disposed as in Fig. 2.

With reference'now to the drawing, I isthe buck having a face generally horizontally disposed to support the articles to be ironed, and it will be appreciated that the buck is one of a pair of cooperating pressing members arranged 'for relative opening and closing motion in the operation of the press of which the buck is a part. In such operation the operator stands in front of the buck, at the left from the views in the drawing, and dresses the shirt to be ironed, upon the buck, with the neck end at the left and the tail end at the right, Fig. 3 showing only the tail end'part of the buck.

The buck is preferably padded and may be of the expansible type above referred to.

For clamping the tail part of the shirt against the buck, that the shirt may be smoothly dressed before pressing operation, a flexible clamping band 2 is provided and mounted for movement between a closed position wherein its intermediate part overlies the work and an open position wherein the band is removed from the buck to provide access to the work.

Such mounting means comprises a pair of oppositely disposed arm members 3 and 4, each carrying one end of the band 2, the band being of such length that it will have curvature between its ends as indicated in the drawing. These arm members are rigidly interconnected by a rock shaft 5 mounted as shown in a bearing bracket 6 secured beneath the buck l. The arm 3 which may be considered the near arm from the viewpoint of the operator, has a part 3a disposed slightly beyond the end of the buck to clear the latter, and a part 3b extending to the plane of the band 2 and carrying the latter by a pivotal connection l. The arm 4 is disposed beneath the buck adjacent the plane of the band 2 as indicated in Fig. 3, and carries the opposite end of the band by an offset pivotal connection 3.

Means such as a roller 9, carried by a bracket 9a, is disposed in the plane of the band and slightly rearward of the buck, to lie Within the path of movement of the connection and thus be engaged by the band but cleared by the member 4 as the latter swings rearwardly and up- -wardly to the position of Figs. 2 and 3.

The parts are proportioned and arranged, and particularly the band 2 is of such length, that when the parts are disposed in closed position as in Fig. 2, the intermediate part of the band will overlie the face of the buck and the band will have a bight beneath the roller 9.

A spring I is arranged to be efective between the arm 4 and a stationary part of the buck to yieldably urge the arms 3 and 4 in counterclockwise direction about the axis of the shaft when the parts are so positioned. Thereby the forward end of the band is yieldably urged downwardly and the rearward extremity of the band is correspondingly urged upwardly. However, owing to its bight around the roller 9, that rearward part of the band bearing upon the buck is yieldably urged in tightening direction. The result is that so far as the buck and work are concerned, both ends of the band thereover are yieldably urged to clamp the work against the buck. Further, the arms 3 and 4 are of equal length from axis to band connection, so that there is no endwise slipping of the band over the work and buck. Consequently the buck may expand or contract substantially, tilting the armsl 3 and 4, yet the spring IU will be equally effective at each end of the band, to maintain the clamping relation between band and buck.

The parts have just been described as in their closed position, from which they may be moved to open position as at B in Fig. 1. Such movement being about the axis of the shaft 5, the forward arm 3 moves upwardly and rearwardly, and the other arm 4 moves downwardly and forwardly from closed position. During such opening movement the forward end of the band at the connection 1 simply moves through an arc about the shaft 5. The rearward end, of the band as at the connection 8, similarly moves through an arc. As however, such movement commences, there is slackening effect upon the rear end part of the band as the latter is unwrapped from its bight about the roller 9. Consequently in moving from closed to open position, the band is first unloosened from the buck at both ends, and thence the band moves generally rearwardly, although its rearward end moves rather downwardly and forwardly. A yieldable stop Il is preferably provided to limit the opening movement of the parts, the connection l2 of the spring l0 with the arm 4 being so located that when the parts are in open position, the spring will just retain them against the stop Il.

It is to be noted that in the open position of the parts the entire face of the buck I is substantially freely accessible to the operator whose arms may move under the part 3b of the arm 3. Y

Should the operator have no use for the clamp,

as when operating upon a type of work not requiring the clamp, the latter maybe adjusted to astand-by position as at C in Fig. 1. Such position is attained by moving the arm members 3 and 4 clockwise from their open position as at B. In the stand-by position the arm members 3 and 4 are again horizontally disposed but the member 4 now extends forwardly and the member 3 rearwardly, the band 2 assuming the position indicated in broken lines. The clamping means is now effectively removed and the buck entirely clear of the latter, the spring I0 again yieldably maintaining the clamping parts disposed as last described.

In adjusting the clamping parts between their described three positions, the part 3b may serve as a handle by which adjustment between open and closed positions `is very conveniently made and adjustment to and from stand-by position may be made. Y

The stop H is preferably so located that the arm 3 in open position is `disposed to be moved without damage to closed position by the head of the press, should the latter be accidentally closed before closing the clamp. v

It is to be noted that the parts are light and approximately balanced about the shaft 5 so that their tendency to move from any adjusted position will not be great. However, the spring IU is effective to yieldably maintain any of the three described adjusted positions.

What I claim is:

1. Pressing apparatus of the class described, comprising a pressing member having a pressing face adapted to receive an article to be pressed, a flexible band having a curvature, and means mounting said band for movement Vin the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has a part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said part is removed from said face, said mounting means including a pair of pivotally movable members having connection with opposite end parts of said band andbeing interconnected to provide coinyfor coincidental pivotal movement in said plane eachhaving connection with an end part of said band and being interconnected to provide coincident motion of said band end parts oppositely in said plane; and said members having associated means for their yieldable retention in either open or closed position.

3. In pressing apparatus of the class described and having a pressing member with a pressing face adapted to receive an article to be pressed, a flexible band having a curvature, and means mounting said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has a part yieldably urged toward' said face and an open position wherein said part is removed from said face, said mounting means including a pair of pivotal members interconnected to provide coincident movement of said members oppositely in directions parallel to said plane, and each member carrying one end of said band.

4. In pressing apparatus of the class described and having a pressing member with a pressing face disposed to receive an article to be pressed, a ilexible band having a curvature, and lever means mounting the end parts of said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has an intermediate part in registry with said face, and an open position wherein said intermediate part is removed rearwardly of said face, and roller means disposed to be engaged by said band between its said end parts to provide a bight, as said registry is attained.

5. In pressingapparatus of the class described and having aV pressing member with a pressing face adapted to receive an article to be pressed, a exible handhaving a curvature, and means mounting said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has a part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said part is removed from said face, said mounting means including a lever having end parts carrying the end parts of said band and pivoted to provide coincident movement of said band ends in opposite directions in said plane, and spring means arranged to yieldably retain said members in either open or closed position.

6. In pressing apparatus of the class described and having a pressing member with a pressing face disposed to receive an article to be pressed, a flexible band having a curvature, and mechanism mounting said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has an intermediate part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said intermediate part is rearwardly removed from said face, said mounting mechanism comprising a pair of members mounted to have coincident pivotal movement in the same direction on opposite sides of the pivot, and

each connected with an end part of said band.

7. In pressing apparatus of the class described and having a pressing member with a pressing face disposed to receive an article to be pressed, a exible band having a curvature, and mecha nism mounting said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has an intermediate part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said intermediate part is rearwardly removed from said face, said mounting mechanism comprising a pair of members mounted to have coincident pivotal movement in the same direction on opposite sides of a cornf mon axis located adjacent said pressing member,

each member being connected with an end part of said band.

8. In pressing apparatus of the class described and having a pressing member with a pressing face disposed to receive an article to be pressed, a flexible band having a curvature, and means mounting said band for its movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has an intermediate part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said intermediate part is rearwardly removed from said face, said band mounting means comprising a pair of interconnected oppositely extending arms each carrying one end of said band, said arms being mounted one to swing upwardly and rearwardly, the other downwardly and forwardly from closed position, and means disposed to be engaged by a portion of said band to provide a bight therein as said closed position is approached.

9. Pressing apparatus of the class described, comprising a pressing member having a pressing face adapted to receive an article to be pressed, a flexible band having a curvature, and means mounting said band for movement in the plane of said curvature between a closed position wherein said band has a part yieldably urged toward said face and an open position wherein said part is removed from said face, said mounting means including a pair of movable members having connection with opposite end parts of said band and mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis therebetween.

FRANK R. HIGLEY. 

